Pretty Soldier, Sailor V
by Kasagi Onaso
Summary: What if the decoy princess, Venus, really WAS the princess? An alt. reality fic based on a role reversal. This is a challenge fic (i have to get 60 reviews. after i get out the fourth chapter, i have a time limit of two months.) so PLEASE R&R!
1. The Mysterious Sailor V

Chapter One  
  
She woke to the sound of her own heart beating against her ribcage. Quickly, frantically, she groped for the light beside her bed and, finding the small silver chain, she clicked the dim beam on. She bent over, her heart finally slowing down, her hair falling on either side of her face as she drew in ragged breaths. "I'm going for a walk," she announced softly, speaking to the cat lying asleep at the end of the queen-sized bed. It flicked its velvet white ears in answer and she slipped downstairs. Pulling on a raincoat, she crept through the front door and jumped down the front steps two by two, her shoes smacking against the wet pavement. Days in England were always rainy, it seemed to her as she walked down the sidewalk dark with morning light and rain. For the past few days, she had been waking from a distant nightmare that she could only remember pieces and parts from. Still, her heart and subconscious seemed to remember it and she always awoke with a pounding heart and frenzied fingers in search to wake the light. Funny though, her cat, Artimis, never seemed disturbed or waken by her frigid movements as she writhed in bed. She ran her fingers along the cold metal window frames of long-closed shops. The small circles of water droplets smeared and ran into each other as she continued to walk down the deserted English streets, streetlights above her, beautifully bright against the stormy night. Rain was coming. The wind picked up her red scarf and she bit her lip as it ripped at her blonde hair. As she passed a video arcade, Crown Game Center, an amusing picture caught her eye. 'New Sailor V video game coming soon!' the bold letters screamed. She stopped and stared at the poster, eyes taking in the picture of England's heroine, Sailor V. The world around her was eerily quiet without the click- click-click of her boots but she reached out to touch the arcade display window and her hands met with the raindrop-dotted glass. There were so many movies and comics worshipping this beauty of a masked heroine. Sailor V's face dotted movie theatres, awed girls' rooms, in-love boy's rooms, book stores and even grocery stores. Yes, she was a hero here.  
  
And it was funny. As she looked into the glass window, staring at the poster, Sailor V's face was reflected back at her, mirror-image. Codename: Sailor V! Yes. She was quite popular in England. The soldier of justice, sailor-suited beautiful soldier! But now, Natsuna o-nee-san was sending her off to Japan where she had envisioned her helpers, the sailor scouts of the new millennium. She slowly slid her hands in her pockets and her fingertips touched the slightly- crumpled edge of some slightly-stiff paper. Slowly, she pulled it from her pocket and stared at it, tears welling up in her eyes. It was the ace of hearts. "Adonis," she whispered, a lone tear making a shining streak upon her pale cheek. She clenched her fist, crumpling the card. "Your true battle begins now." Why? Why was he haunting her? Not now. No, she would be on her way to Japan in a couple days, Hikaru-chan seeing her off, her best friend since elementary school. She didn't ask for this life. No. She was chosen. She would have landed her gymnastics move perfectly if that odd white cat hadn't walked in front of her. Hikaru-chan tried to blow it off as always but that stupid white cat had kept appearing at all the bad times. Then, one night during a hot bath, the white cat had appeared at her window and had spoken to her. 'The boss,' he had called her and handed her a crescent moon talisman. That's where it all started. The Dark Agency came next, attacking England and transforming her precious late-crush, Higashi-senpai. The most popular guy in school, he had told her that her hair was beautiful. She touched her red bow. He had also told her that she should wear it back with a bow. She had and, of course as all habits are, habitually tied it in her hair every morning. Speaking of morning, the sun was beginning to rise behind the storm clouds. She could barely make out the vibrant red and fuchsia bands that made a halo about the orange sphere. It was going to rain again. "Morning Minako-chan!" greeted Hikaru cheerily as they walked to their school, the Glory Cram School. Her friend was silent, her light blue eyes burning holes in the cement. "Oh? Minako?" "Gomen Hikaru-chan," sighed Minako, slouching over. "What's wrong?" asked Hikaru, cocking her head. "Did you fail another test?" "No!" said Minako with a scowl. "I'm just tired. That's all." "Cheer up! You're going to Tokyo soon," said Hikaru with as much cheer as she could muster. Minako hung her head, her blonde hair flipping over her skull. "All this is making me want to play Lovely Fight," she groaned as they headed to their class, Class B. The day was long and dragging. Even volleyball during gym class couldn't stir Minako's seemingly-constant depression. Hikaru bumped it to the zoning girl, in hopes of her once-hyper friend springing into action and spiking it with godlike speed over the net. But it bounced off the top of the other girl's head and as the gym filled with laughter, Minako blushed and backed to the bleachers. "What's with you Aino?" called the sensei, looking over his clipboard. "I don't feel like playing much," she said back, her voice soft but carrying across the gym. "Then sit on the bleachers and watch." And she did so, her eyes seemingly seeing the ball but not really seeing anything at all. "How was your day?" asked the white cat from her bed as she stumbled into the room. She dropped her schoolbag and threw herself onto the bed. "I'll take that as bad?" "Awful!" she corrected, staring up at the ceiling. "Absolutely awful." The cat, faithfully and fondly called Artimis, was silent, large eyes below a yellow crescent moon mark staring intently at the girl. "Until tomorrow," he said, curling in the crook of her neck. Suddenly, she hated tomorrow. "All ready Minako-chan?" asked Natsuna o-nee-san as Minako was ready to go on the plane. "Hai," she whispered, smiling. "I am." And she was, she thought, as she rolled down the runway into the Tokyo Airport, Artimis snug in the bag on her lap. Already, she was missing tomorrow's school day, Hikaru-chan's bright smile and their giggles as they pointed out eighth grade guys and watched Minako play games at Crown Game Center. The back of her eyes pricked as she remembered her o-nii-san, her Motoki, back at Crown Game Center. She had said but a brief goodbye to him, the one who took her breath away at each movement he made. "I'm surprised I'm still alive!" laughed Minako as she unzipped her lap bag. Artimis leapt out and draped himself around her shoulders, meowing. "I don't know," he said, obviously cross from lack of air and space over the long airplane ride. "You sure sound alive to me." "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho! Come on you grouch!" she laughed and sped off towards the exit, Artimis clinging to her jacket. The train ride to the apartment was bumpy and people stared at her, or the cat upon her shoulders. Everyone else was carrying newspapers and children but in her arms she cradled a cat. "This is great!" she exclaimed, stepping off the train onto the plank. "Just a small walk from here, Artimis." "I don't care," he said with a yawn. "You're the one walking, after all." "I'll make some sticky rice! Oh, and sushi and--" "Where are you getting this money?" Artimis asked as they walked towards the apartment buildings. "Oh that's right!" Minako said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm flat broke." Artimis almost fell of her shoulder, an exasperated look on his face. "Oh, who cares! Natsuna o-nee-san said I could get a job! I'll just work at a store or something." "Nani?? Minako??" "Come on you lazy kitty," Minako said cheerily, fitting the key into the lock. "We've got a room to break in." "Oh-h-h-h! Sailor V!" sighed a teenager as she stared longingly at the heroine in on the poster. "She's so great!" "She's not so great," snorted another, shaking her mane of black red-hued hair. "Nan? Are you serious? She's only the best ass-kicking super hero ever!" declared the teen, crossing her arms. The other rolled her eyes with annoyance. "She is not." "Is so." "Is not." "IS SO!" "IS NOT!" "Would you two cut it out?" barked their third companion, a blue-haired girl whose azure eyes scolded them from above a text book and behind thin glasses. "Personally, Usagi-chan, I think you're obsessing." "Oh-h look! A food shop!" gasped the fourth girl, a very tall, slender girl with a brown ponytail. She stared longingly at the quaint shop across the street with jade eyes. "That's off subject," scoffed the blue-haired teen, closing her book with a snap. "We should be studying, not shopping! I hope you've been doing well on your tests so far, Usagi-chan, because Juuban is a school with very high standards." "Oh maa-maa," Usagi said, uncrossing her arm to place her hands on her hips. "While we're talking about obsession!" "Come on," said the tall girl. "If you come to my apartment, we can study and I'll cook for you!" "You're the best cook ever, Makoto-chan!" said the black-haired girl fondly, smiling widely. Makoto blushed and fondled her ponytail. "Arigato Rei-chan!" "I suppose that's fine," sighed the blue-haired teen as she placed the book she had been reading under her arm. "As long as we can get some studying done. That math test is coming up soon, Usagi-chan." "I know, I know," grumbled Usagi, slumping over. She disliked being reminded of such events when she'd rather be playing the new Sailor V game at the arcade. "Lighten up Ami-chan," said Rei. "I'm sure Usagi will manage a D at least." "Rei!" growled Usagi and Makoto laughed. As they trailed into the apartment building floor, there was a flash of blonde and they stopped to look over their shoulders. A girl with long blonde hair and a big red bow was standing outside the door at the bus stop. A white cat sat beside her, watching the passing cars. "Who's that?" asked Usagi loudly, pointing a finger. "Shh!" hissed Rei. "You're so rude, Usagi-chan! She could hear you! Stop pointing!" "Gomen, gomen," apologized Usagi but trailed behind the others to steal one last glance at the girl. She was gone. 


	2. Girl Behind the Counter

Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon

A/n: Sorry for the paragraph problem last time ;^^ This is my first sailor moon chappie so be kind!!!

Decoy

Chapter Two

"I'm going to be late for my first job!" complained Minako as she flew from the apartment, past a group of laughing girls, and to the bus stop. She anxiously checked her red watch.

"If you weren't so lazy," Artimis scolded, his ears twitching. "This wouldn't be happening."

"It's not my fault you slept on the alarm clock!" Minako retorted as the blue bus slid up to the stop. "Finally!" she sighed and clambered up the steps, dropping the fare into the slots, and took a seat near the front. "Good! I'm only five minutes late."

"It takes fifteen minutes to ride there."

"NANI??" cried Minako, almost falling from her seat as the bus took a sharp turn. "Fifteen minutes?! It'll be miraculous if they don't fire me," she complained, blue eyes flashing.

"It's amazing," said Artimis, leaping back upon her lap from the floor where he had fallen to. "Your first job, your first time getting fired, yet no 'first paycheck' fits in there," he whispered on her ear. Luckily, hardly anyone crowded the bus so he could be more leisurely with his speech. 

"Oh be quiet," she hissed, clenching her fists. "Oh well!" she said as the bus jerked to a stop. "If all fails, I'll just find another job!"

"Employment isn't easy to find in the middle of spring."

"Aren't you the optimist," she scoffed and ran into the store.

"You're late," said the man, handing her a nametag as his eyes remained glued to the clipboard he held in one hand. She quickly clipped it on, flushing a light pink as she tied a slipknot in the back of the cream apron he had handed to her as well. His eyebrows raised as he peeked over the clipboard, his beetle eyes squinting through thick glasses.

"Is that a cat?" he asked. 

"Yes," Minako said sweetly. She had been about to say 'no, it's a platypus' but that might have gotten her fired. 

"Keep it beneath the cash register," he said, turning his eyes back to the clipboard. "You're down on register fourteen."

"Right." She quickly shuffled down to her isle where she hastily flipped the closed sign to open and waited. 

"You could be using this time to find your allies, Minako," said Artimis crossly as he sat in the musty space beneath the register. She sighed and placed her chin in her hand, the arm propped upon the counter, and tapped the plastic surface exasperatedly with her shiny nails.

"I know," she said at last. "But I've got to pay for rent if I want to stay in Tokyo!" A woman with a small child came bustling up to her register, setting armfuls of groceries upon the counter. "Finally! Welcome to Yasu Sakura Groceries! Is this all you want today?"

"Hai," said the woman, nodding her head and trying to calm the boy. "Hush, Ken!" 

"All right." Naming the price, Minako quickly took the unfamiliar currency and handed the woman her change. "Here's your change," she said, holding out her hand. 

"Hush Ken!" the woman scolded and took the ¥500. "Thank you."

"Mm-hmm. We hope to see you again!" Minako watched the woman drag the poor child out of the store, chuckling to herself. "That wasn't so hard," she boasted as she checked the register.

"You're wasting too much time. At the rate you're going, we'll find your allies in years," Artimis said grumpily, his ears flattening against his skull.

"I thought we talked about this already," hissed Minako.

"We did," Artimis said flatly. 

"Sh! Here come more customers!" Minako said excitedly. "Hello! Welcome to Yasu Sakura Groceries! Will this be all for today?"

"Usagi-chan! Concentrate!" barked Ami, smacking the open page of the text book they were studying.

"Makoto-chan doesn't have to study," complained Usagi, twiddling with her pencil and doodling the hair to a cartoon character she had been drawing while Ami had been reading the text aloud.

"She's cooking," said Rei, reading a thick comic book.

"I'm sorry Rei-chan," said Ami, sighing and looking up from the book. "I know this must be boring for you."

"The sisters don't give us much homework," Rei said, smiling and shrugging a shoulder.

"I wanna go to your school Rei-chan," whined Usagi, leaning back so she was laying on the blue-green carpet of Makoto's apartment. 

"You have to take entrance exams, Usagi-chan," Rei said, snickering and returning her attention back to the comic. 

"I can pass them!" declared Usagi, jumping to her feet.

"You have to study to pass them," said Ami, tapping the page of the text book where they had left off. "Sit down, Usagi-chan, and read from here." Grumbling, Usagi kneeled by the table and began reading about math.

"Here we go!" said Makoto, waltzing happily into the room, flowered apron about her waist and tray of steaming food in her hand. She slid it onto the table.

"We're saved!" said Usagi dramatically and grabbed some taro sushi. 

"It's like you haven't eaten in years, Usagi-chan," snapped Rei, glaring at her companion over the top of her book.

"No, but I haben't eafen in hours!" Usagi said through a mouthful of food. 

"And ocha to go with it!"

"You're amazing, Makoto-chan," Usagi said happily. Rei's lip curled as she rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the book. 

"Yeah…but I didn't have enough rice to make rice balls," said Makoto, sighing unhappily. "I know!" she exclaimed, causing Ami to drop the crystallized momo she held. "I'll go to Yasu Sakura Groceries and pick up a bag," she said rapidly, hastily pulling on a coat. "I was going to have to go, anyway."

"But Makoto-chan--" started Ami but with a cheerful wink and a wave, the door slammed shut.

"Kind of her to trust us in her house," said Rei behind her book.

"No fair! She gets to sneak out of studying to get rice!" moaned Usagi, smacking her forehead against the book.

"Stop whining and read!"

Makoto cheerily sifted through the rice, finally picking the bag she wanted and bringing it to the front.

"It sure is crowded here," she muttered as she headed to the register with a slightly luminescent fourteen glowing above it. A teenage girl with very long and very shiny blonde hair and a red bow stood behind the register, leaning against the side of it. Her face was hidden by a vibrantly-colored comic book while one finger absentmindedly twirled a piece of hair about her finger. "Excuse me?"

"Oh!" The girl blinked baffled blue eyes and sheepishly set the comic book down. "Gomen nasai," she apologized. "Welcome to Yasu Sakura Groceries! Is that all for today?"

"I think," said Makoto, squinting at the silver nametag flashing at her from the girl's apron. "Minako?"

"That's me!" the girl said brightly, scanning the item with a beep. "¥97!"

"Arigato!" Makoto said. "Hey…do you by any chance go to Juuban?" 

"The high school?" inquired Minako, tapping her chin. "Oi! I think that's the name…"

"Oh! So you're new then?" 

"Yeah," said Minako, the skin atop of her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm a transfer student from England."

"Really?" asked Makoto. "I heard they make great tea there."

"Every day!" chirped Minako, wrinkling her nose. 

"See you in school, then?" asked Makoto, gathering the plastic bag and handing Minako the money. 

"You bet!" said Minako with a wink. "Bye now!" Makoto waved brightly and disappeared through the sliding doors. 

"Rats!" hissed Minako as she watched the brown-haired girl leave. "I didn't get her name!"

"That was nice of her," said Artimis, poking his head out from under the counter. "To talk to you like that."

"I could've done that too," scoffed Minako, putting a bag of lettuce rather roughly into the plastic bag before her. The woman whom the bag belonged to winced slightly but made no move to stop the girl. "I'm rather charismatic, don't you think?"

"Very," grumbled Artimis. "Heh, bet that woman thinks you're a nutter!" 

"Hmm?" Minako blinked at the woman, who was eyeing her with wary suspicion, and sheepishly grinned widely, rubbing the back of her head with embarrassment. "Er, that's ¥202 please!" The woman dropped the yen into her waiting palm, making a scene of not touching Minako's hand, grabbed her bag of goods, and hurried out of the store. "I've got to stop doing that," muttered Minako. 

"Heh!" laughed Artimis, his crescent moon winking up at her. "I reckon!" 

"Quiet you!" hissed Minako. "I can't _wait _to get out of here!" 

"You've only just started," Artimis said with irritation, his ears twitching with annoyance. 

"Yeah but--oh, hush, hush! Here comes another customer!" 

"I'd slip your comic book of the counter as well. You're going to get in trouble if your boss sees that."

"Oh hush. You just want to read it!"

"Either, or!" Artimis said cheerily. 

"Welcome to Yasu Sakura Groceries! Is that all today?" 

"Mm! Rice balls!" said Usagi, bits of rice spraying from her mouth and spattering across the textbook lying in front of her.

"One at a time!" chided Rei scornfully. "What a crater mouth!"

"Am not!" said Usagi with a giant swallow.

"You can have as many as you like, Usagi-chan!" Makoto said, her smile showing she was pleased at Usagi's liking for the rice balls. "There's more in the kitchen."

"I bought instant Ramen, you know," Ami said, one hand digging through the blue pouch at her knee while the other held up the textbook she was studying intently. "It saves valuable study time."

"Honestly!" groaned Usagi. "All we ever do is study, study, study!" 

"If I didn't make you study, Usagi-chan, you wouldn't at all!" Ami said, wagging a finger at Usagi. 

"So?" said Usagi, trying to balance her star and moon pencil on her nose, a habit she did when she became futilely bored. 

"I've got cheesecake for dessert!" Makoto declared proudly.

"Yeeee-um!" squealed Usagi, pounding the table with a balled fist. "Bring it on!"

"STUDY!" bellowed Ami. 

"All work and no play makes Usagi a dull girl!" snapped Usagi as Makoto, chuckling despite herself, got up to fetch the cheesecake. There was faint scratching at the door and Rei set aside the novel she had been reading to open it. 

"Who is it?" called Makoto from the kitchen.

"Luna!" Rei cried with delight. The black-purple cat shook  her fur, her tail lashing behind her.

"It's getting a bit nippy outside," she purred, blinking bright red eyes up at Rei before smiling softly. "Hard to believe it's not even October yet."

"Come on in!" said Makoto, sliding the glass platter holding a magnificent cheesecake upon the table. "I'll be right back with a cutter and…do you want some, Luna?"

"I'll just take some from Usagi," the cat said slyly, slipping under the table and into Usagi's lap. 

"As if!" snorted Usagi but patted the cat on the head affectionately. 

"I met a new girl today," Makoto announced as she began to slice the cheesecake. 

"Are those blueberries?" asked Usagi as she rested her head on the table. 

"Yep!" Makoto said happily.

"A new girl?" asked Luna, perching regally on the table and staring at Makoto with wide, intent eyes. "Who?"

"I think she said she's going to Juuban soon," said Makoto, wrinkling her nose in thought. "Or maybe it was another school…Her name was…Minako! That's it."

"A pretty name," said Ami. "It means--"

"What'd she look like?" Rei interrupted quickly, flashing Makoto a secretive wink as Ami fumed. 

"Hmm…she had really long hair…it was really shiny too…she was reading a comic book when I first saw her…"

"Really?" asked Usagi, who hadn't been listening until now, and shoved a large bite of blueberry-soaked cheesecake into her mouth.

"Yeah. She seemed really nice." Suddenly, Makoto snapped her fingers. "I know who she looks like! She looks exactly like Sailor V!" Usagi's eyes grew wide.

"Maybe she's as big a fan as me!" she gasped, clutching the end of the table. 

"REOWL! Usagi-chan!" hissed Luna.

"Heh, sorry Luna!" Usagi apologized sheepishly as Luna pulled herself from Usagi's lap. 

"Maybe," said Makoto with a one-shouldered shrug. "Who wants seconds?"

~ Fin ~ 

Please review!!!!!!


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